Published: Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 12:17 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 4:22 p.m.

NORTH PORT - The agreement came at 1 a.m. Thursday for the two sides fighting for Imagine School at North Port after nearly 16 hours of talks.

The result?

Principal Justin Matthews' last day will be May 31, and the charter school will continue with its old board intact and remain with the Imagine Schools corporation.

“I think everybody was happy we got a resolution short of having to drag this out through the summer and potentially at trial that could have been held days before the school opened,” the corporation's attorney, Shawn Arnold, said Thursday.

It was an ending to the charter's contentious legal fight, which began in February when the North Port school tried to fire its parent company and become independent.

Lawyers and school officials declined to give details Thursday on Matthews' departure, citing the mediator had not officially released the final settlement agreement.

“I can't comment at all on anything that happened in that room,” Arnold said.

Matthews, carrying a loyal following of many parents, has been the school's principal since it opened five years ago.

When asked what his future plans are, Matthews said, “That's a good question. At this point, my wife and I are still talking about what our next step is going to be.”

He said he hoped to stay in education and find another place that “would love to have a school leader with my experience.”

North Port parent Stephen Hudek said he was “devastated” the school will lose its founding principal.

“I'm sure the school will not be the same,” said Hudek, 50, who has a seventh-grader at Imagine. “He's just been the awesome driving force behind everything there. It's an incredibly, incredibly big loss for the school.”

In February, Matthews and the local officials complained about paying hefty management fees with public tax dollars every year to the nonprofit company. The board voted to break off from Imagine Schools — one of the largest charter school companies in the nation — and run its own school, a move that the corporation viewed as a coup détat.

Almost immediately, Imagine Schools sued Matthews and the local board for more than $15,000 in Sarasota County Circuit Court and accused them of several charges, including breach of contract.

The high-profile legal battle was fused by multiple court hearings, back-and-forth contradictory emails to parents and a petition to support Matthews that supporters passed around the school parking lots.

Arnold said he did not believe there would be a backlash of students leaving or teachers quitting when Matthews leaves.

Hudek disagreed, saying he expected some parents to pull their children from the school. He, however, would not be one of them because he still preferred Imagine over the traditional public schools in North Port, Hudek said.

Meanwhile, the search for a new principal has already started and the school expects to have the hire in place by August, Arnold said.

At the campus, a new 17,000-square-foot, $1.8 million expansion is underway, which Arnold pledged will continue despite the leadership change.

“Imagine will do anything it needs to do to help make sure it happens,” Arnold said. “Everybody wants that project to be completed.”

About 1,100 students in pre-kindergarten through 10th grade attend the school, making it the largest charter in Sarasota County and one of the most popular schools in the Imagine national chain.

“I'm extraordinarily proud of the program we built in the first five years,” Matthews said, adding he too, was happy a resolution had been reached Thursday.

<p><em>NORTH PORT</em> - The agreement came at 1 a.m. Thursday for the two sides fighting for Imagine School at North Port after nearly 16 hours of talks. </p><p>The result?</p><p>Principal Justin Matthews' last day will be May 31, and the charter school will continue with its old board intact and remain with the Imagine Schools corporation.</p><p>“I think everybody was happy we got a resolution short of having to drag this out through the summer and potentially at trial that could have been held days before the school opened,” the corporation's attorney, Shawn Arnold, said Thursday.</p><p>It was an ending to the charter's contentious legal fight, which began in February when the North Port school tried to fire its parent company and become independent. </p><p>Lawyers and school officials declined to give details Thursday on Matthews' departure, citing the mediator had not officially released the final settlement agreement.</p><p>“I can't comment at all on anything that happened in that room,” Arnold said.</p><p>Matthews, carrying a loyal following of many parents, has been the school's principal since it opened five years ago.</p><p>When asked what his future plans are, Matthews said, “That's a good question. At this point, my wife and I are still talking about what our next step is going to be.”</p><p>He said he hoped to stay in education and find another place that “would love to have a school leader with my experience.”</p><p>North Port parent Stephen Hudek said he was “devastated” the school will lose its founding principal. </p><p>“I'm sure the school will not be the same,” said Hudek, 50, who has a seventh-grader at Imagine. “He's just been the awesome driving force behind everything there. It's an incredibly, incredibly big loss for the school.”</p><p>In February, Matthews and the local officials complained about paying hefty management fees with public tax dollars every year to the nonprofit company. The board voted to break off from Imagine Schools — one of the largest charter school companies in the nation — and run its own school, a move that the corporation viewed as a coup détat.</p><p>Almost immediately, Imagine Schools sued Matthews and the local board for more than $15,000 in Sarasota County Circuit Court and accused them of several charges, including breach of contract.</p><p>The high-profile legal battle was fused by multiple court hearings, back-and-forth contradictory emails to parents and a petition to support Matthews that supporters passed around the school parking lots.</p><p>Arnold said he did not believe there would be a backlash of students leaving or teachers quitting when Matthews leaves.</p><p>Hudek disagreed, saying he expected some parents to pull their children from the school. He, however, would not be one of them because he still preferred Imagine over the traditional public schools in North Port, Hudek said.</p><p>Meanwhile, the search for a new principal has already started and the school expects to have the hire in place by August, Arnold said.</p><p>At the campus, a new 17,000-square-foot, $1.8 million expansion is underway, which Arnold pledged will continue despite the leadership change.</p><p>“Imagine will do anything it needs to do to help make sure it happens,” Arnold said. “Everybody wants that project to be completed.”</p><p>About 1,100 students in pre-kindergarten through 10th grade attend the school, making it the largest charter in Sarasota County and one of the most popular schools in the Imagine national chain.</p><p>“I'm extraordinarily proud of the program we built in the first five years,” Matthews said, adding he too, was happy a resolution had been reached Thursday.</p>